8 November 2023
It’s round one to Easter Airfield in the battle to stop an an anaerobic digestion plant being built next to the airfield’s runway.
The Highland Council has refused planning permission for the plant and its required infrastructure. The planning applicant, Acorn Bioenergy of Inverness, is believed to be preparing an appeal.
In its refusal, the council said it has not been demonstrated that the proposal will not have a detrimental impact on an established aviation interests.
The anaerobic digestion plant was metres away from Easter Airfield’s runway, and required the use of the airfield’s perimeter track for an estimated 65 trucks a day.
“The proposal is contrary to the Highland-wide Local Development Plan,” said the Highland Council. “It has not been satisfactorily demonstrated that the development will not have unacceptable risk on aviation safety by virtue of failing to adequately assess the development’s risk due to the site’s explosive atmospheric conditions, failing to assess the proposal’s potential to generate thermal plumes from all heat sources across the site, as well as failing to fully assess the proposal’s potential to generate building induced turbulence, which pose potential risks to aircraft.”
There were 230 comments from the public with 223 objecting and just two supporting.
The proposed anaerobic digester plant would be located 40 metres from Easter’s grass runway on the site of former RNAS Fearn
Among the consultee comments was one from the UK CAA’s Airfield Advisory Team. The CAA objected to the proposal “on the grounds that the proposal’s proximity and its components pose a health and safety risk to the Easter Airfield, and therefore would impede the continued safe operation of the airfield”.
Easter Airfield said, “The development will compromise the airfield’s safe operation and therefore its long term commercial viability.”
